Xavier Gold Nuggets rally late to defeat Mobile in five sets

Xavier Volleyball coach Christabell Hamilton

New Orleans - Taylor Reuther had 12 kills and 15 digs, and Moira Kirk had nine kills and seven blocks Monday in Xavier University of Louisiana's 25-18, 17-25, 31-29, 16-25, 15-13 women's volleyball victory against Mobile at The Barn.

Celeste Poe had a career-high 17 digs for Xavier (1-1), and Patrice Hightower had 30 assists and 10 digs.

It was the first victory for new XU coach Christabell Hamilton.

Xavier trailed 12-10 in the fifth set after leading 3-0 and 6-3, but Mobile (2-1) committed five errors thereafter, four on attacks. Kirk and Hightower blocked Lisa Alms' attack on the final play.

Xavier reached match point with the help of Joyy Joseph's diving dig, one of a team-leading four she produced in the fifth set.

"We definitely have some fighters on our team," Hamilton said. "We make a lot of young mistakes. We're working on trying to find team chemistry and at the same time find maturity in our decision-marking during the match."

Alms, Alison Kenney and Melody Tenney combined for 11 kills to pull the Lady Rams out of at tie at 8 and force a fifth set.

Xavier trailed 17-15 and 25-24 in the third set before closing with a Jeanay Butler ace and three Reuther kills.

The Nuggets survived despite a combined six kills in the first and final sets. Mobile committed a combined 23 errors during those two periods.

It was the second straight match that Xavier played five sets — the first time that's happened since 2003, the Nuggets' debut season — and the second straight match that Reuther, a freshman, recorded a kill-dig double-double.

Mobile, picked fourth out of 11 teams in the Southern States Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll, swept a pair of matches against Xavier last year.

Xavier became the first Gulf Coast Athletic Conference team to win this season — the GCAC was a collective 0-6 prior to Monday — and the first this season to beat a Southern States opponent. The SSAC began the day 21-0, including Belhaven's victory against Xavier on Friday.

"Our goal is to get better each day," Hamilton said, "and so far we're on the right track."

Xavier's next match will start at 6 p.m. Sunday against another Southern States team, city rival Loyola, at The Den. The Nuggets will play Judson (Ala.) in their next home match Sept. 8.

NOTES: Attendance for the home opener was 300 — 100 more than Xavier's largest crowd at The Barn last season . . . The Nuggets are 1-3 in home openers . . . Hamilton said the Nuggets' regular-season and GCAC finale against Dillard at The Barn was pushed back one hour to 2 p.m.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

New star emerges from hurdles debris at WC Athletics Daegu

DAEGU, South Korea — Thrilling and controversial, an incident-packed world 110m hurdles final lived up to its billing by producing a dramatic disqualification for the Olympic champion -- and a new star.

In Monday's first ever meeting in a global final between the three fastest sprint hurdlers of all time -- Dayron Robles, Liu Xiang and David Oliver (Howard University) -- it was Jason Richardson who emerged with the gold after the dust had settled.

A day after defending champion Usain Bolt saw his 100m dream shattered after sensationally false-starting, the worlds were again rocked as another of the biggest stars in athletics was stripped of his medal for obstruction.

Cuba's Robles had won a thriller in 13.14sec, edging out American Richardson by just 0.02sec but made contact with former Olympic and world champion Liu in the latter stages of the race in South Korea.

A protest by China on behalf of Liu, who appeared to be impeded when Robles strayed to the edge of his lane and the pair clashed arms at each of the last two hurdles, was upheld and Robles lost his gold.

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110m Hurdles Men Final WC Athletics Daegu 2011
Jason Richardson USA 13.16
Xiang Liu CHN 13.27
Andrew Turner GBR 13.44
David Oliver USA 13.44
William Sharman GBR 13.67
Aries Merritt USA 13.67
Dayron Robles CUB DQ
Dwight Thomas JAM DNF

McCorory 4th at Worlds in 400 meters

DAEGU, KOREA -— Twenty-one hundredths of a second. About one very long stride.

They're all that separated Francena McCorory from a spot on the medals stand on Day Three of the 13th World Championships of Track and Field.

The former Bethel High and Hampton University flash settled for fourth place in the women's 400 of the Worlds at Daegu Stadium with a 50.45 performance, just that mini-margin back of Russian bronze medalist Anastasiya Kapachinskaya's 50.24.

All this in a drama-packed race that saw Amantle Montsho bring joy - and a first-ever gold medal - to her African homeland of Botswana by fighting off the desperation homestretch charge of America's Allyson Felix, 49.56 to 49.59.

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400m Women Final WC Athletics Daegu 2011
Amantle Montsho BOT 49.56 (NR)
Allyson Felix USA 49.59 (PB)
Anastasiya Kapachinskaya RUS 50.24
Francena McCorory USA 50.45 
Antonina Krivoshapka RUS 50.66
Shericka Williams JAM 50.79
Sanya Richards-Ross USA 51.32 
Novlene Williams-Mills JAM 52.89

Joseph, SU Jaguars feel mood shifting

Baton Rouge, LA - Dray Joseph said he doesn’t know exactly when the mood of a football team begins to shift. But at some point, he said, everyone knows. At some point, the atmosphere changes. Everyone can sense it.

At Southern University, it changed sometime late last week, when the Jaguars turned away from the monotony of preseason. The anxiousness of game week took over.



In a few days, the Jaguars will pack for their trip to Nashville, Tenn., where they’ll break the seal on a new season. At 6 p.m. Saturday, they face Tennessee State, more than ready to prove they’re back on the path toward respectability.

Training camp shrinks in the rear-view mirror. LP Field, site of the opener, is coming into focus. It’s here. It’s time.

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Alabama A&M: Seniors eager to live up to expectations

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Alabama A&M's 2008 recruiting class was supposed to be the group that would keep the Bulldogs among the Southwestern Athletic Conference's elite.

Under Anthony Jones, A&M won more games (49) than any team in the league from 2002-2007 and when the Bulldogs signed 32 players in 2008, including the likes of Rico Porch, Willie Fuller, Clarence Morris, Markeith Cliatt, Lewis Graham and Trent Johnson, they had what they believed was a banner recruiting class.

Three years later, the class that was slated to keep A&M among the league's elite hasn't had much to celebrate.

The Bulldogs won the Eastern Division title in 2009 and advanced to the SWAC championship game before losing to Prairie View.

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N.C. Central Eagles just looking for consistency in volleyball

Durham, NC - The whole move to NCAA Division I volleyball is good and all, but there’s no pressure with that, N.C. Central volleyball coach Georgette Crawford-Crooks said. Any so-called pressure on the NCCU volleyball program comes from within, from the need for the team to play steady, the coach explained.

“Volleyball is a game of consistency,” Crawford-Crooks said.

NCCU returns to the court Friday to launch its volleyball season at the fifth annual Hilton/RTP NCCU Volleyball Tournament in McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium, the Eagles’ home floor. NCCU never has won the tournament, which runs through Saturday.



Along with the official move this year to Division I, this season will be NCCU’s first time competing in volleyball in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

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VISIT: NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
VISIT: NCCUEAGLEPRIDE

CIAA Football: Livingstone preview

SALISBURY, NC — Livingstone’s 2011 football season begins with an unavoidable question: Why is Elvin James smiling?

Is it because the second-year coach has four of his five starting offensive linemen from last season back on board? Or because a full complement of running backs returns intact, a year older and fiercer? Or because a handful of newcomers — including three highly touted assistants, four top-shelf local products and a bona fide, full-scholarship kicker — have injected the Blue Bears with a dose of inspiration?

All are poignant queries. But maybe, just maybe, the answers can be found in James’ old record collection.



“It was Sam Cooke who sang ‘A Change Is Gonna Come,’” he said, channeling the man who invented soul. “And it’s coming to us. I see the progression here and, mark my words, change is coming.”

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